Resolution
by Taisi
Summary: AU. I look at his picture every now and then, wondering how one person could be so full of joy that they simply radiate it. -SaiPOV


A/N: The style is really strange with this one. I tried something somewhat new and I don't know if it turned out well or not...

This is a two week late New Year's tribute. A great start, I know.

_Resolution_

The first time I saw him was exactly one year ago. He was sitting in the grass, arm in arm with another boy, looking so happy I couldn't help but take a picture.

Because that's what I do--I'm a photographer.

So I took his picture, tucking it away in a file of personals I'll never publish. I looked at it every now and then, wondering how one person could be so full of joy that they simply _radiate _it. And he did. In the semi-darkness, under the vanishing light of the fireworks, clutching that dark-haired boy's arm and beaming into the brilliant flowering lights in the sky--he simply glowed.

I like to find meaning in things, you see. Things people see every day and take for granted. People often take happiness for granted, don't they?

It's something I've noticed.

After the party, I watched the boy's companion rise and help him to his feet. They left together, and that bright boy faded into the crowd.

I'm not sure why I wanted to see him again so badly.

Shifting through my pictures later that night--well, that morning, actually, the fireworks ended just before dawn--I wondered about people. I didn't understand them, really; it's been years since I've sat down and held a conversation with another person that was more than three minutes long.

Because I don't know how I should act or what I should say.

It's usually just me and my camera. And I'm used to the silence.

The place where I live is noisy and crowded, but keeps a slow pace--it doesn't have the energized momentum of some of the larger cities. I'm glad of that--I don't like when things are moving too quickly. But I'd never really appreciated how big it was until I tried looking for that boy.

Not to say I looked for him; I watched for him, hoped to cross paths again, but I didn't look for him.

I didn't know him.

Time passed by, and for the first time one day, I read the morning paper. The cover story, anyway. There were a lot of unimportant interviews and unneeded facts littering the article, but I got the point; something very bad had happened, and several people were injured because of it.

Things like that don't happen where I live. We have a special police force--an elite unit that handles every problem the city might face.

But as it so happens, one of the policemen was to blame. And the men injured were his comrades. I didn't know people were capable of that.

There wasn't a picture.

Before I knew it, the year was over. I hate when time slips by like that. I want to make it count, but I don't want to cram too much into my schedule. Doing nothing makes your days worthless, but doing too much feels just as bad somehow.

The party was in full swing when I arrived. It's a city-wide thing, so everyone is welcome--I'm just not sure why I always go. It's not like I socialize.

But I may be able to take a few good pictures. Which is the excuse I use for a lot of the things I do.

I was moving through the crowd now, and it was getting dark. Murmurs spread around, and I could tell it was almost time for the firework display to begin. I stepped out of the crowd, slightly wishing I'd stayed home, and my eyes immediately caught sight of a certain boy.

And I knew it was him--I gripped my camera, but then I noticed that he was alone.

Alone?

He was sitting in the same spot as when I first saw him, arms wrapped around himself, gazing up into the sky without really seeing anything at all.

Before I could stop myself, I was walking over. He glanced at me, and I said, "Your light's gone."

My only picture of him did not do him justice; he was beautiful, and his blue eyes were bright in the dark. He was looking at me without speaking now, and I wondered if I'd said something strange.

I don't often talk to people. I don't know what they expect to hear.

But then he said, quietly, "I know. And I don't know what to do."

I didn't understand, and told him so. He smiled and it was real.

"My friend left," he said after a moment. "And I feel a little lost. Like I don't know what to do anymore, or where to go."

"So you came here?"

His eyes softened. "I love this spot. Sitting here like this, surrounded by all these people--it makes me forget I'm alone, y'know?" I said nothing, and he didn't seem to mind.

I sat next to him, and he tilted his head at me. I said, "You'll be okay."

He smiled. "I know."

A deafening crack and a boom, and then the sky was ablaze--I cast a sidelong glance at the boy, whose face was illuminated by the brilliant colors. He had his eyes shut, content to hear the joy of the crowd around him, and feel the energy of the moment.

"It'll be a good year," he said after a moment, and I felt myself smile at him.

And when the night was over, and it was a new year, he stood as the crowd began to disperse. I was struggling with a strange feeling I'd never had to cope with before as I followed suit.

I didn't know what to say; I think he guessed that, because he took my hand before I could properly embarrass myself and said, "Don't go yet."

Whatever it was burning in my chest paused for a moment. "Why not?"

"Because I think I like you. Let's be friends."

This never happened before. Not once. And it was a moment before I could say, "Alright."

He grinned--and maybe all he needed all along was someone to talk to. "My name's Naruto."

"Sai." We shook hands and he laughed.

"I think we did this backwards."

I didn't mind.

I love to hear him laugh.

End.


End file.
